Other editions of book Homespun Tales

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"Rose O' the River" is about the river of the title, flowing from the Saco Mountains to the Atlantic, and the effect it has on those who live by it. "The Old Peabody Pew" is in the Tory Hill Meeting house, which the Dorcas Society strives to keep maintained with slender means, and serves as the place of reunion of Justin Peabody and his sweetheart Nancy Wentworth when he returns home after fruitless efforts to make a place in the world. "Susanna and Sue" touches upon the lives of the Shaker sect, who vow simplicity, chastity, and holding goods in common, and the difficulties posed for them when young lovers find the rigors of Shaker life too much to bear.Kate Douglas Wiggin, a woman born in Philadelphia of Welsh descent, was an American children's author and educator. She started the first free kindergarten in San Francisco in 1878 (the Silver Street Free Kindergarten). In the 1880s, she and her sister established a training school for kindergarten teachers.But nowadays she's remembered as a writer of children's books, the best known being The Birds' Christmas Carol (1887) and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1903).

These three stories are now brought together under one cover because they have not quite outworn their welcome; but in their first estate two of them appeared as gift-books, with decorative borders and wide margins, a style not compatible with the stringent economies of the present moment. Luckily they belong together by reason of their background, which is an imaginary village, any village you choose, within the confines, or on the borders of York County, in the State of Maine. In the first tale the river, not "Rose," is the principal character; no one realizes this better than I. If an author spends her summers on the banks of Saco Water it fills the landscape. It flows from the White Mountains to the Atlantic in a tempestuous torrent, breaking here and there into glorious falls of amber glimpsed through snowy foam; its rapids dash through rocky cliffs crowned with pine trees, under which blue harebells and rosy columbines blossom in gay profusion. There is the glint of the mirror-like lake above the falls, and the sound of the surging floods below; the witchery of feathery elms reflected in its clear surfaces, and the enchantment of the full moon on its golden torrents, never twice alike and always beautiful! How is one to forget, evade, scorn, belittle it, by leaving its charms untold; and who could keep such a river out of a book? It has flowed through many of mine and the last sound I expect to hear in life will be the faint, far-away murmur of Saco Water!

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.